Michigan forward Glenn Robinson III (1) dunks during the first half of a third-round game against the Texas of the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 22, 2014, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Michigan State?s Adreian Payne (5) shoots a free throw during the third-round game of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament against Harvard in Spokane, Wash., Saturday, March 22, 2014.(AP Photo/Young Kwak)

Michigan, a second-seed, will play Tennessee, an 11th-seed, in the NCAA tournament Friday.

Michigan State, a fourth-seed, will face Virginia, a No.1 seed, also Friday.

It would seem, based those elementary facts, the Wolverines would have a much better chance of advancing past the Sweet 16 than the Spartans.

Except when it is considered Tennessee did play Virginia this season – and won by 35 points.

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And so it goes with this year’s version of March Madness. There is no prohibitive favorite remaining in the field. There is no team surviving to this stage categorized as a Cinderella team, either.

It’s anybody’s tournament. From one-seed to No.11. And everything in-between.

The good news for Michigan and Michigan State: They legitimately have as good a chance as any other teams to eventually be crowned national champion. And play each other in the NCAA Championship Game.

The bad: They are each vulnerable to being knocked out as soon as Friday.

First about Tennessee. The Volunteers lost 12 games. The Volunteers were beaten twice by Texas A&M, a barely above .500 team, which was below .500 in the SEC. They lost twice to Xavier.

The two other SEC teams remaining in the NCAA tournament, Florida and Kentucky, were 4-0 combined vs. Tennessee.

Yet, it is a less-than-ideal matchup for the Wolverines. Their problems rebounding and vulnerability inside are well-documented. Tennessee has two strong inside forces, who look like bookend first-round offensive tackle NFL draft picks, Jarnell Stokes and Jeronne Maymon. They combine for nearly 19 rebounds per game. Tennessee has a couple pretty good guards, too, in Josh Richardson and Jordan McRae.

They have been terrorizing the Big Dance so far in victories over by 19 and 20 points over Massachusetts and Mercer. In the play-in game, Tennessee beat Iowa of the Big Ten – and gained momentum.

Tennessee will have many days to prepare for what Michigan does well, which is essentially shoot 3-pointers with uncanny accuracy and score in transition. But it’s not easy to simulate in practice. I think that’s an edge the Wolverines have in this tournament. This is not a Big Ten team that has experienced and been burned by what the Wolverines do so well in an actual game – and are effectively able to adjust as result.

There is a lot of fair warning about the Wolverines, but they still do what they do well in most cases. The key will be the same: Hit 3-point shots, don’t turn the ball over. The rest will take care of itself for the Wolverines if that occurs.

Seems Virginia doesn’t get much respect considering it won both the ACC regular season and postseason tournament titles and is a top seed. The Cavaliers have won 21 of their 23 games since the loss to Tennessee.

Virginia has beaten Syracuse and Duke this month. The Cavaliers downed North Carolina earlier. They are one overtime loss on the road to Maryland away from a 19-game winning streak, and haven’t been tested much in the NCAA tournament to this point.

Virginia is deep and strong defensively. Guard Joe Harris is playing particularly well, Akil Mitchell is an exceptionally good defender inside.

A big edge for Michigan is the best player on the floor vs. Tennesee will likely be Nik Stauskas. If not him, then it will be Caris LeVert. Or Glenn Robinson III. Wolverines.

About the Author

Pat Caputo has written as a beat writer and sports columnist for The Oakland Press since 1984 and blogs at http://patcaputo.blogspot.com/. Reach the author at pat.caputo@oakpress.com
or follow Pat on Twitter: @PatCaputo98.